The touchdown was Miami’s first of the night. The celebration after it, an emotionally charged moment for the player that scored it.

As he trotted off the field after scoring on a 7-yard touchdown catch, Hurricanes receiver Braxton Berrios clasped his hands behind his back as if they were handcuffed and bowed his head.

The gesture, he later explained, was a not-so-subtle nod to Miami’s reputation as the ‘convicts’ in the “Catholics vs. Convicts” narrative that reappears every time the two longtime rivals have met since 1988.

It was also acknowledgment of some of the still-existent perception that the Hurricanes are “thugs,” a word that popped up on social media quite a bit after Miami’s in over Virginia Tech last week.

“I was having fun,” Berrios said with a smile after Miami’s 41-8 win over the Irish. “It was kind of Thursday, Friday [I got the idea]. It was kind of like the same thing as UNC. You can label us what you want, you can say whatever you want about us. But at the end of the day, we’re going to make you respect us. If you want us to play that. But I was having fun.”

Added quarterback Malik Rosier of his teammate’s post-touchdown celebration, “It was actually kind of funny. They call us convicts, but I think we’re No. 1 in community service [hours performed], so you can’t really say that. I don’t think convicts do that, willingly at least. … There are so many guys giving back. … You can call us thugs, you can call us convicts, but that’s not who we are or what we represent.”

But it wasn’t just the national perception of their off-field behavior that bothered the Hurricanes.

In the days leading up to their matchup against Notre Dame, Miami’s players watched as national college football analysts picked the Irish to win, questioned the Hurricanes ability to stop Notre Dame’s vaunted run game, and generally counted Miami out in this game, and beyond.

Once on the field, the Hurricanes silenced those critics, too.

The Miami defense held Notre Dame — which had averaged 324 rushing yards per game — to just 109 rushing yards on Saturday. Heisman Trophy candidate Josh Adams managed just 40 yards, while dual-threat quarterback Brandon Wimbush had 24 rushing yards, was sacked five times and had two interceptions.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes put together a dominant rushing performance of their own, with Travis Homer gaining a game-high 146 yards, DeeJay Dallas adding 53 with two touchdowns, and Rosier rushing for 46 yards and a touchdown.

In all, Miami finished with 237 yards on the ground with three scores.

“We had a mental mentality today to go out and prove everybody wrong,” offensive lineman Kc McDermott said. “They had the best rushing offense in the country and we wanted to prove that they should be talking about us because we’re a pretty [darn] good offensive line too.”

Added Berrios, “The U is back. I don’t think anybody can say we’re not. I don’t think we can get disrespected anymore. We still have to play two teams and we still have to win the ACC championship. There is still a long road ahead but I don’t think they can say it’s a fluke anymore.”

Hurricanes rise in AP, Coaches polls

While it’s Tuesday’s College Football Playoff rankings that could start shaping the Hurricanes’ postseason fate, Miami’s performance against the Irish earned them some of the respect they Hurricanes say they deserve.

Miami rose to No. 2 in both the AP Top 25 and the Amway Coaches Polls on Sunday and while those rankings aren’t necessarily considered by the CFP committee when it meets to formulate its rankings, the jump could indicate the Hurricanes will rise in the CFP rankings, too.

For the Hurricanes — who received four first-place votes in the AP Top 25 — it matched the highest ranking the program has had since 2003. Miami was ranked No. 3 in 2005, but the Hurricanes haven’t been a consistent presence in the top five since.

The Miami Hurricanes' Turnover Chain originated when defensive coordinator Manny Diaz wanted to find a way to reward his players for getting interceptions and fumbles. The 36-inch, 2.5-kilogram, 10-karat gold Cuban link chain has since become a national phenomenon, helped by the Hurricanes' success on the football field in 2017. Several Miami players have had the honor of wearing the chain in the moments after their big defensive play. Here are photos of the Turnover Chain in all of its glory.